THE LAST CAPTAIN TO BE HANDED THE TORCH WHEN THE FORUM CLOSED ITS DOORS, PIERRE TURGEON DEMONSTRATED HIS TALENT BY NOTCHING 127 POINTS IN 104 GAMES WITH THE CANADIENS.

An outstanding passer and playmaker, center Pierre Turgeon delivered the goods everywhere he plied his trade in the National Hockey League. Shortly after joining Montreal in 1995, he succeeded Mike Keane as the Canadiens’ captain and was the last Montreal player to wear the “C” at the Forum.

As a result, he followed in the footsteps of his older brother Sylvain, who spent two seasons with the Canadiens during his 10-year NHL career.

Despite contributing 20 points in 15 games with his new team, Turgeon was unable to right the Canadiens’ ship in time and the team fell short of the playoffs at the end of the lockout-shortened 48-game season in 1994-95.

In his first full season with the Habs in 1995-96, the Rouyn native had 38 goals and 58 assists for a team-leading 96 points in 80 games, two points ahead of Vincent Damphousse. He also added six points in six playoff games.

In 104 games with Montreal, he scored 50 goals and added 77 assists for 127 points. He also won the Molson Cup in 1995-96 as the Canadiens’ player of the year.

After five seasons in St. Louis, Turgeon signed with the Dallas Stars in 2000. He spent three seasons in Texas before joining the Colorado Avalanche in 2005. Although injuries slowed the prolific centerman’s production late in his career, he still reached the 500-goal milestone and surpassed 1,300 regular season points.

Turgeon announced his retirement on September 5, 2007. Over the course of his career, he took part in four All-Star Games and won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1993.